Worm in young cattle

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32660, 16 July 1971, Page 14

Worm in young cattle

There was a Press Association report this week of cattle in South Canterbury being affected and dying from the effects of the parasite ostertagia. Mr G. G. Thomson, of the veterinary department at Lincoln College, said this week that ostertagia in cattle was not new but it was the worm that most affected young cattle in particular and in some cases could be very serious indeed. He said that its onset could’ be associated with cattle going into the winter in an unfit condition and perhaps with a lice infestation and a poor level of nutrition.

It was a nematode or round worm that lodged in the true stomach of mainly young cattle. It interfered with digestion of these cattle and also caused a very marked reductijn in feed intake as appetite was reduced.

The immature stage of the parasite invaded the gastric glands and this led to the destruction of the glands so that the ability of the animal to digest protein was seriously impaired. In young animals this loss of protein digestion seriously interfered with growth rate. The presence, of the worms also led to severe scouring and as a result animals became dehydrated and lost a lot of minerals and electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium. With the scouring there was also a loss of protein as the animal tended to lose a good deal of albumin and globulin. It could also lead to ulceration of the stomach. Normally farmers treated affected animals themselves but in the most severe cases they would need extra assistance. Most farmers were able to help their animals by dosing them with one of the newer anthelmintics but in some cases two or three such treatments

I might be necessary. Where animals were seriously dehydrated they could require to be given an intravenous infusion containing electrolytes and provision of nutrients. Mr Thomson said that not all manifestations of the trouble were fully understood and there could be quite rapid deterioration of an animal as a result of the trouble. The parasite could lodge in the lining of the stomach of an animal and not do much harm or damage to it, but if this animal was brought inside and after being housed for a time for some reason the parasite might flare up and affect the animal adversely quite suddenly